NCAA Rolls Back New Sliding Scale GPA Requirements; Maintains 2.3 GPA Floor Plans

Citing the success of existing academic reform measures, the NCAA Division I Governance Board has decided to not enact the new “sliding scale” requirements that would significantly increase the initial eligibility grade requirements for prospective student-athletes.

Specifically, in July of 2012, the NCAA announced a number of new academic requirements, including one that would increase the high school GPA needed for an athlete to be eligible immediately at Division I institutions for any given ACT or SAT score.

The standards to be on campus and receive financial aid and scholarship money wouldn’t have changed significantly, however, the GPA to compete was bound to skyrocket. For example, an athlete who scored a 1000 on their SAT (math and reading combined) previously would have required just a 2.05 GPA to compete. Now, they would need a 2.5 high school GPA to compete.

These new measures wouldn’t have had a huge impact on swimming & diving, where athletes are generally speaking exceeding of the NCAA requirements, but it still would have been felt.

The rationale on overturning this new scale, according to the NCAA announcement, were the following:

  • Taken as a whole, the academic reform changes already underway or adopted are likely to result in improved graduation performance of student-athletes.
  • The increase to a 930 Academic Progress Rate requirement for access to postseason competition, which begins with this fall’s data collection, is predicted to have a significant impact that will encourage institutions to make admissions decisions that ensure student-athlete academic success.
  • The impact of a more stringent scale on access to higher education, especially for certain socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds, could be significant. The goal of academic reform from the outset has been to improve the academic performance of student-athletes, including increasing graduation rates, while minimizing disparate impact on ethnic minorities.
  • Membership expressed concerns about the sliding-scale increase, including that it might not have the intended impact, should be implemented on a slower timeline or that coaches would decline to offer scholarships to players who could not compete in their first year for academic reasons.

The other new rules regarding initial eligibility that included a change in the core class requirements for incoming freshman, and a minimum GPA floor increase from 2.0 to 2.3 to compete right away, are still proceeding, however. The NCAA did, though, commit to examine the effects of these new rules changes shortly after their implementation in 2016.

See the full NCAA release on their decision here.

See the proposed changes to the sliding scale below.

Sliding Scale Prior to 8/1/2016 New Standards 8/1/2016, NOW NULL
Core GPA SAT ACT GPA for Aid GPA for Comp. SAT ACT
3.55 & above 400 37 3.55 4 400 37
3.525 410 38 3.525 3.975 410 38
3.5 420 39 3.5 3.95 420 39
3.475 430 40 3.475 3.925 430 40
3.45 440 41 3.45 3.9 440 41
3.425 450 41 3.425 3.875 450 41
3.4 460 42 3.4 3.85 460 42
3.375 470 42 3.375 3.825 470 42
3.35 480 43 3.35 3.8 480 43
3.325 490 44 3.325 3.775 490 44
3.3 500 44 3.3 3.75 500 44
3.275 510 45 3.275 3.725 510 45
3.25 520 46 3.25 3.7 520 46
3.225 530 46 3.225 3.675 530 46
3.2 540 47 3.2 3.65 540 47
3.175 550 47 3.175 3.625 550 47
3.15 560 48 3.15 3.6 560 48
3.125 570 49 3.125 3.575 570 49
3.1 580 49 3.1 3.55 580 49
3.075 590 50 3.075 3.525 590 50
3.05 600 50 3.05 3.5 600 50
3.025 610 51 3.025 3.475 610 51
3 620 52 3 3.45 620 52
2.975 630 52 2.975 3.425 630 52
2.95 640 53 2.95 3.4 640 53
2.925 650 53 2.925 3.375 650 53
2.9 660 54 2.9 3.35 660 54
2.875 670 55 2.875 3.325 670 55
2.85 680 56 2.85 3.3 680 56
2.825 690 56 2.825 3.275 690 56
2.8 700 57 2.8 3.25 700 57
2.775 710 58 2.775 3.225 710 58
2.75 720 59 2.75 3.2 720 59
2.725 730 59 2.725 3.175 730 60
2.7 730 60 2.7 3.15 740 61
2.675 740-750 61 2.675 3.125 750 61
2.65 760 62 2.65 3.1 760 62
2.625 770 63 2.625 3.075 770 63
2.6 780 64 2.6 3.05 780 64
2.575 790 65 2.575 3.025 790 65
2.55 800 66 2.55 3 800 66
2.525 810 67 2.525 2.975 810 67
2.5 820 68 2.5 2.95 820 68
2.475 830 69 2.475 2.925 830 69
2.45 840-850 70 2.45 2.9 840 70
2.425 860 70 2.425 2.875 850 70
2.4 860 71 2.4 2.85 860 71
2.375 870 72 2.375 2.825 870 72
2.35 880 73 2.35 2.8 880 73
2.325 890 74 2.325 2.775 890 74
2.3 900 75 2.3 2.75 900 75
2.275 910 76 2.275 2.725 910 76
2.25 920 77 2.25 2.7 920 77
2.225 930 78 2.225 2.675 930 78
2.2 940 79 2.2 2.65 940 79
2.175 950 80 2.175 2.625 950 80
2.15 960 80 2.15 2.6 960 81
2.125 960 81 2.125 2.575 970 82
2.1 970 82 2.1 2.55 980 83
2.075 980 83 2.075 2.525 990 84
2.05 990 84 2.05 2.5 1000 85
2.025 1000 85 2.025 2.475 1010 86
2 1010 86 2 2.45 1020 86
2.425 1030  87
2.4 1040  88
2.375 1050  89
2.35 1060  90
2.325 1070  91
2.3 1080 93

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dimmer
11 years ago

To get into UC’s in California the minimum GPA is 3.0 regardless of SAT’s and the student is required to have core requirements. Maybe this is why they keep dropping their swim programs – they can’t compete with private universities who can accept anyone they want.

swimmer
11 years ago

how do you get a 93 on the ACTs ? isn’t it out of 36?

Jimmer
Reply to  swimmer
11 years ago

That number is the sum of the ACT subsections (English, Math, Reading, and Science). So technically it could be as high as 144.

CoachGB
Reply to  Jimmer
11 years ago

You have to have good Math scores just to figure the system.

About Braden Keith

Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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